Leading defence systems company, Saab Australia and UniSA, are partnering to establish the new Saab Australia–UniSA Defence Technologies Institute.

The new Institute will be a $40 million investment to provide a key education and research pipeline for highly skilled systems engineers, now very much in demand, as new defence industry projects come on-line.

It will provide a unique industry-based environment for students to experience real-life projects as an integral part of their studies, ensuring graduates are well-equipped to succeed in the defence sector.

Managing Director of Saab Australia, Dean Rosenfield says the significant defence industry projects planned for the next 20 to 30 years in Australia will require a new level of people with specialist skills in systems engineering.

“It is forecast that the need for additional personnel with the right education and training will be in excess of 5000 and about 20 per cent of those will need to be university qualified,” Rosenfield says.

“This partnership ensures academia is in the heart of industry. Students will learn the technological skills, the industry demands and through the practical experience element, know how to deliver projects effectively.

“We have had a long and productive association with UniSA. This new partnership will give South Australia and Saab the edge in building defence industry capacity, delivering world-class solutions for future key projects.”

Rosenfield says the Institute will have broad scope and will include engineering and IT, with a particular focus on critical areas at the heart of what Saab delivers – augmented reality, autonomous systems, cybersecurity and complex systems engineering.

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